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Ihr sollt wissen, dass wir noch da sind
Esther Safran Foer ist die Mutter des Bestsellerautors Jonathan Safran Foer, der mit seinem weltweit gefeierten Debüt »Alles ist erleuchtet« den Grundstein legte für dieses mutige Memoir. Sie begibt sich auf die Suche nach der Geschichte ihrer Familie, die in der schrecklichen Dunkelheit des Nationalsozialismus begraben wurde. Ein Buch gegen das Vergessen. Als Esthers Mutter beiläufig offenbart, dass ihr Mann eine frühere Frau und Tochter hatte, die beide im Holocaust ermordet wurden, beschließt Esther herauszufinden, wer sie waren und wie ihr Vater überlebt hat. Nur mit einem Schwarzweißfoto und einer handgezeichneten Karte reist sie zusammen mit ihrem Sohn in die heutige Ukraine, um das Shtetl zu finden, in dem sich ihr Vater während des Krieges versteckt hatte. Diese Reise wird ihr Leben für immer verändern und sie wird es Esther ermöglichen, endlich richtig zu trauern. Sie findet in der Ukraine tatsächlich die Nachfahren der Menschen, die ihren Vater versteckt hatten und erfährt sogar den Namen ihrer Halbschwester. Eine bewegende Geschichte von einer Frau auf der Suche nach ihrer Familie, aber auch von vier Generationen von Überlebenden, Geschichtenerzählern und Gedächtniswächtern, die entschlossen sind, nicht nur die Vergangenheit am Leben zu erhalten, sondern auch die Gegenwart mit Leben zu füllen.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2020
361 people are currently reading
12112 people want to read
About the author
Esther Safran Foer
1 book65 followersEsther Safran Foer was the CEO of Sixth & I, a center for arts, ideas, and religion. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Bert. They are the parents of Franklin, Jonathan, and Joshua, and the grandparents of six.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
April 17, 2022
Foer is on a mission. At times it can be all consuming as she culls the Diaspora and available databases to find out who she is and where she came from. In her words:
“When I asked my mother why she didn’t know more or ask questions, she said that after the war people didn’t want to talk about the past.”
“While much of what I know about my family history has been deliberately and painstakingly assembled, a lifelong research project that has sent me on a scavenger hunt though libraries, the Internet and around the globe…”
“…I had heard so much about (my grandmother) Esther from my mother and from my grandmother’s sisters…that I felt deeply connected to her. My grandmother was murdered holding her grandchildren. She died having no idea that one of her daughters, my mother, survived and that there were now numerous generations of descendants. I often wished I could tell her how life turned out for us…”
“I have come to accept that I will never know my father’s full story: how he survived the war, the precise details of what he endured, of what haunted him and continued to cast shadows even on the new life he made in America.”
Foer is a “survivor” too, and her search is made more challenging by the geography of politics of this corner of Europe. “This is a part of the world that changed hands eight times between 1914 and 1945: It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then Russia, Austria, western Ukraine, Poland, the Soviet Union, Germany, the Soviet Union again—and now it was Ukraine. My parents’ neighbors had been Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews, mixed with the various occupiers, including Russians and Germans. The shtetl names had changed too depending on the occupier. I needed all of this information as I searched for maps.”
Foer’s saga is that of displaced people beginning before 1940 but continuing after World War II. One of the poignant discussions is that of the effect on people in Europe of the USA’s Displaced Persons Act. An act that President Truman described as follows: “These provisions are contrary to all American ideals.” Yet, he signed it into law.
The crux of Foer’s investigation and memoir is captured in this observation: “My parents were well taken care of during our first few weeks in America, but there were few questions about what they had endured in Europe and how they survived. This was typical of survivors’ post-Holocaust experiences in the United States and probably around the world. Survivors were urged to move on, and in doing so, they internalized the horror of their experiences. The general silence in my family about the past suggests that we were no exception.”
This recounting of a life-long search filled me with sadness. I do not have a comparable family experience so it is very difficult to put myself in Foer’s shoes. So many things were not to be discussed when she was a child, a young woman or, even a mother with a wealth of life experience. It seemed as if every time with her mother was an attempt to learn something more about the family’s past. And there are hints that her children faced a similar situation. Foer recounts her son, Franklin, as telling her that: “…the most important part of the trip (to Europe with her) was getting closer to me, understanding me better, and that the trip helped him fill an emotional void that he didn’t even know he had.”
Esther Safran Foer is in her mid-seventies as she writes this book. It is such a shame that it took so long to gain what she sought.
2022 - So much has been happening in the area that the author writes about. Also important, I want to thank those who have commented for their insights and empathy with the subject matter. With the new millions of Ukrainian refugees it is likely that many of the issues that the author reflects on will be repeated as the world tries to gauge appropriate responses to the challenges.
“When I asked my mother why she didn’t know more or ask questions, she said that after the war people didn’t want to talk about the past.”
“While much of what I know about my family history has been deliberately and painstakingly assembled, a lifelong research project that has sent me on a scavenger hunt though libraries, the Internet and around the globe…”
“…I had heard so much about (my grandmother) Esther from my mother and from my grandmother’s sisters…that I felt deeply connected to her. My grandmother was murdered holding her grandchildren. She died having no idea that one of her daughters, my mother, survived and that there were now numerous generations of descendants. I often wished I could tell her how life turned out for us…”
“I have come to accept that I will never know my father’s full story: how he survived the war, the precise details of what he endured, of what haunted him and continued to cast shadows even on the new life he made in America.”
Foer is a “survivor” too, and her search is made more challenging by the geography of politics of this corner of Europe. “This is a part of the world that changed hands eight times between 1914 and 1945: It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then Russia, Austria, western Ukraine, Poland, the Soviet Union, Germany, the Soviet Union again—and now it was Ukraine. My parents’ neighbors had been Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews, mixed with the various occupiers, including Russians and Germans. The shtetl names had changed too depending on the occupier. I needed all of this information as I searched for maps.”
Foer’s saga is that of displaced people beginning before 1940 but continuing after World War II. One of the poignant discussions is that of the effect on people in Europe of the USA’s Displaced Persons Act. An act that President Truman described as follows: “These provisions are contrary to all American ideals.” Yet, he signed it into law.
The crux of Foer’s investigation and memoir is captured in this observation: “My parents were well taken care of during our first few weeks in America, but there were few questions about what they had endured in Europe and how they survived. This was typical of survivors’ post-Holocaust experiences in the United States and probably around the world. Survivors were urged to move on, and in doing so, they internalized the horror of their experiences. The general silence in my family about the past suggests that we were no exception.”
This recounting of a life-long search filled me with sadness. I do not have a comparable family experience so it is very difficult to put myself in Foer’s shoes. So many things were not to be discussed when she was a child, a young woman or, even a mother with a wealth of life experience. It seemed as if every time with her mother was an attempt to learn something more about the family’s past. And there are hints that her children faced a similar situation. Foer recounts her son, Franklin, as telling her that: “…the most important part of the trip (to Europe with her) was getting closer to me, understanding me better, and that the trip helped him fill an emotional void that he didn’t even know he had.”
Esther Safran Foer is in her mid-seventies as she writes this book. It is such a shame that it took so long to gain what she sought.
2022 - So much has been happening in the area that the author writes about. Also important, I want to thank those who have commented for their insights and empathy with the subject matter. With the new millions of Ukrainian refugees it is likely that many of the issues that the author reflects on will be repeated as the world tries to gauge appropriate responses to the challenges.
January 13, 2021
You could classify this as just another story about Holocaust victims, or you could see it for what it is, a beautiful, touching and intense report of the author's voyage of discovery with regard to her ancestors, even as close by as her parents. It was a difficult voyage, no one wanted to delve into the atrocities, they just wanted to go forward. This book touched my heart, I felt as if the author addressed me personally. I think it's one of the very valuable stories about this subject.
November 4, 2020
Dieses Buch hat mich tief bewegt, erschüttert und zu Tränen gerührt. Es endet mit soviel Hoffnung und noch mehr Liebe und ich möchte einen Satz daraus zitieren,den ein Enkel der Autorin gesagt hat,als eine ganze Schar vor der Synagoge zur Beerdigung ihrer Urgroßmutter (98 Jahre) kamen um diese auf ihrem letzten Weg zu begleiten ..." Nimm das, Hitler!"
December 16, 2019
3 stars Thanks to BookBrowse and Tim Duggan Books for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Publishes March 31, 2020.
It has been a while since I have read a book on the Holocaust. Although I am not of Jewish faith, each book seems to dredge up feelings and images that are simply overwhelming. Knowing that this was a memoir - dubbed as 'A Post Holocaust Memoir' - I went into it very slowly, while also reading a couple other books, to even out the drama and sadness of this one.
I found that I both liked and disliked this book. There were plenty of sections that delved into the lives of Foer's family - I especially liked the parts referring to her Grandmother. But there were also parts that just seemed out of place - such as her repeated mentioning of her sons achievements.
I understand that having to ferret out your past history and family would take a lot of resilience and research. And I admire Foer for what she undertook, especially under the auspice of the Holocaust. However, I believe this book may have been better had her son written it instead.
It has been a while since I have read a book on the Holocaust. Although I am not of Jewish faith, each book seems to dredge up feelings and images that are simply overwhelming. Knowing that this was a memoir - dubbed as 'A Post Holocaust Memoir' - I went into it very slowly, while also reading a couple other books, to even out the drama and sadness of this one.
I found that I both liked and disliked this book. There were plenty of sections that delved into the lives of Foer's family - I especially liked the parts referring to her Grandmother. But there were also parts that just seemed out of place - such as her repeated mentioning of her sons achievements.
I understand that having to ferret out your past history and family would take a lot of resilience and research. And I admire Foer for what she undertook, especially under the auspice of the Holocaust. However, I believe this book may have been better had her son written it instead.
June 16, 2020
This is about the family history her son Jonathan turned into quirky autofiction (in Everything Is Illuminated): a largely fruitless trip he took to Ukraine to research his maternal grandfather’s life for his Princeton thesis, and a more productive follow-up trip she took with her older son in 2009. Esther Safran Foer was born in Poland and lived in a German displaced persons camp until she and her parents emigrated to Washington, D.C. in 1949. Her father committed suicide in 1954, making him almost a belated victim of the Holocaust. The stories she hears in Ukraine – of the slaughter of entire communities; of moments of good luck that allowed her parents to, separately, survive and find each other – are remarkable, but the book’s prose, while capable, never sings. Plus, she references her son’s novel so often that I wondered why someone would read her book when they could read his instead (I attempted to reread it recently, but what felt dazzlingly clever on a first read in January 2011 failed to capture me a second time).
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
February 18, 2020
"I set out to find the family that had hidden my father during the war and to see what I could learn about the sibling I had never known. I set out to find a shtetl that, by all accounts, was no more. I set out to learn about my father. I set out to know about my sister. I set out to let my ancestors know that I haven't forgotten them. That we are still here."
Words and stars cannot do this book justice. Beautiful, haunting, and inspirational all at once - a testament to memory, ancestry, faith, and family. I can't recommend it enough.
Esther Safran Foer, mother of three famous authors including the one and only Jonathan Safran Foer, is a child of two Holocaust survivors. Her mother and father were both from two small Ukrainian shtetls (villages with large Jewish populations) and narrowly escaped mass shootings from the Nazi Einsatzgruppen or mobile killing squads. Every relative of her mother's and father's - their parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins - were killed.
Her mother went on the run with a friend for three years, a refugee moving constantly deeper into Russia and Asia Minor. Although she doesn't know the exact trajectory of her father's journey, she knows he was kept safe and hidden by a Gentile family for a long time.
It took Esther years to even get this level of detail - her father tragically died when Esther was just eight years old, and many of these memories were too painful for Esther's mother to recount for more than minutes at a time. Esther savored any small detail she could get about her family's history, life in the shtetl, the hardship of a life spent in hiding. One day, her mom revealed that her father had a wife and daughter in the Chetvertnia ghetto: Esther had a half sister whose name she didn't even know.
This book is about Esther Safran Foer taking on the challenge of remembering. Over her life, she becomes an amateur historian and genealogist, collecting documents as small as cancelled checks and ship manifests, documenting her family tree across the world, connecting with distant-distant-distant family members to piece together their shared memory. She recognizes that, in order to truly do justice to her family tree, she needs to go back to Ukraine. She sets off on finding and experiencing the shtetls that her parents came from, tracking down the family who hid her father in their house with only one photo as evidence, and learning something - anything - about her half-sister.
Safran Foer perfectly weaves in why exactly this means so much to her: she unfolds to the reader the importance of Jewish memory. She discusses that for Jews, the world is a small world - everywhere you go, you can find distant relatives or in-laws, and Jewish people have stopped being surprised at these b'shert coincidences. She also emphasizes that the responsibility of the living is to affirm, celebrate, and remember the existence of the dead - this is something that she strives so hard to dedicate her life to, a task that seems insurmountable when she considers the number of family members who died with no photos, no stories, nothing to remember them by. Her ancestors have no idea that she is here - that she remembers - that their legacy lives on in her family.
The book ends beautifully: after going on this journey of discovery, Esther sums it all up by mentioning how many of her children and grandchildren carry her father's legacy in their names. She duplicates an excerpt from her son's speech at his son's bris, a speech that ends in the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful and poignant way imaginable.
"Leo, your mother and I pray that you will never forget where you come from, nor the generations who came before you. May your life be a credit to your ancestors, just as we pray that you will someday have descendants as numerous as the stars, whose lives will be a credit to you."
Thank you to Crown Publishing for the early release copy via Netgalley.
November 10, 2019
This is a memoir of Esther's family - four generations who are unable to pass her mother's stories to each generation because her mother's memories were so terrible that she refused to talk about them. She would occasionally give a small amount of information but would refuse to answer questions. When Esther finds out that her father had been married before and had a daughter, she know that she must travel to the Ukraine to find out all she can about her half-sister.
Esther's mother and father were both the only survivors of the Holocaust in their immediate family. Since her mother refused to share information about this horrific time, Esther spent her entire life searching for answers. Armed with only a hand drawn map and an old photograph, Esther and her son travel to the Ukraine to try to get some answers to her lifelong questions about her parents' lives. She wants to find where her father hid during the war and the people who helped him, she wants to find her mother's village and anyone who remembered her and she wants to find out information about her half sister born before the war started. It was difficult to find out too many answers since so many people were dead but she was able to find children and grand children of the people she was searching for and get information. The town her mother grew up in was totally demolished but she was found someone who grew up there and was able to show her where her mother had grown up. As she and her son travel, they find mass graves where Jewish people were shot and buried. Many of the markers on these mass graves were falling apart and covered in weeds indicating that the newer generations memory of that time in history is being lost. At each mass grave and grave marker of family members, she left a picture of her family to let her ancestors know that part of the family had survived and was 'still here'.
This was a beautiful and well written memoir about one person's goal to find the memories of her mother and pass them down to future generations so that family history wouldn't be lost.
Thanks to Book Browse for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Esther's mother and father were both the only survivors of the Holocaust in their immediate family. Since her mother refused to share information about this horrific time, Esther spent her entire life searching for answers. Armed with only a hand drawn map and an old photograph, Esther and her son travel to the Ukraine to try to get some answers to her lifelong questions about her parents' lives. She wants to find where her father hid during the war and the people who helped him, she wants to find her mother's village and anyone who remembered her and she wants to find out information about her half sister born before the war started. It was difficult to find out too many answers since so many people were dead but she was able to find children and grand children of the people she was searching for and get information. The town her mother grew up in was totally demolished but she was found someone who grew up there and was able to show her where her mother had grown up. As she and her son travel, they find mass graves where Jewish people were shot and buried. Many of the markers on these mass graves were falling apart and covered in weeds indicating that the newer generations memory of that time in history is being lost. At each mass grave and grave marker of family members, she left a picture of her family to let her ancestors know that part of the family had survived and was 'still here'.
This was a beautiful and well written memoir about one person's goal to find the memories of her mother and pass them down to future generations so that family history wouldn't be lost.
Thanks to Book Browse for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
February 28, 2020
I won this via goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.
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3.5 stars
Had trouble keeping track of some of the names and details (me thing, my memory sucks) of her family and the places. I'm sure I pronounced some things wrong in my head haha.
An interesting and powerful journey... it dragged in a couple places but overall I really enjoyed this. Would recommend.
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3.5 stars
Had trouble keeping track of some of the names and details (me thing, my memory sucks) of her family and the places. I'm sure I pronounced some things wrong in my head haha.
An interesting and powerful journey... it dragged in a couple places but overall I really enjoyed this. Would recommend.
November 16, 2019
This beautifully written book flowed so smoothly I felt was having coffee with Ms. Foer as she told her story. I have read countless stories of the Holocaust yet from each I learn something new. The biggest “take-away” for me from this book was that “life was all about moving forward” which may explain why many survivors did not talk about the past. The book is filled with many truly memorable and heartfelt statements. There are stories of heroism and stories of shame (such as how the survivors were so poorly treated in American DP camps that President Truman actually ordered an investigation of the problem). The Jewish people have many traditions of which many we do not know why the tradition exists. I loved Ms. Foer’s take on why we leave stones on a grave instead of flowers, and the significance of a mezuzah on our doorposts.
One of the most poignant parts of the book, at least to me, is the statement “Jews are concerned more with memory than with history”. We believe that a person never really dies as long as someone remembers her/his name. This is why Foer was so determined to learn the name of her half-sister that was murdered by the Nazis. Someone, somewhere must know her name. A little girl who had barely lived must be remembered.
“History is public. Memory is private.” While Ms. Foer’s parents chose to keep their memories private, fortunately for us she chose to share the memories she uncovered and to keep these stories alive.
Thank you to Book Browse for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I highly recommend this book.
One of the most poignant parts of the book, at least to me, is the statement “Jews are concerned more with memory than with history”. We believe that a person never really dies as long as someone remembers her/his name. This is why Foer was so determined to learn the name of her half-sister that was murdered by the Nazis. Someone, somewhere must know her name. A little girl who had barely lived must be remembered.
“History is public. Memory is private.” While Ms. Foer’s parents chose to keep their memories private, fortunately for us she chose to share the memories she uncovered and to keep these stories alive.
Thank you to Book Browse for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I highly recommend this book.
April 1, 2020
First thoughts: Amazing. A genealogy search crossed with a deep dive into the Holocaust archives and local histories by a Jewish girl trying to be sure those that died are not forgotten. Powerful and personal. Full review coming.
I Want You to Know We’re Still Here
A Post-Holocaust Memoir
Esther Safran Foer
Tim Duggan Books, Mar 2020
288 pages
Memoir, Historical, Holocaust, Genealogy
Provided by Edelweiss
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover is perfect for this story. It looks like an old photograph, which I’m sure it was taken from. The subtle font in pale gray and the ragged-looking edge like an old document all add up to the telling of an old story, which this is. A story that hasn’t been told completely. Too many of its parts have been lost, covered up to be kept secret or simply lost to time and death of those who carry the story.
The Jews of Europe had to keep things secret. Where they were. How many of them there were. What they had. Their very existence had to be kept secret. For if they were discovered, their lives were forfeit to torture or death. Families were separated, to begin with. Husbands from wives, parents from children, siblings from each other even, mostly by gender. Shipped off to different camps and most never to find each other again if they lived through the war and what they were put through in the camps.
Esther records her family’s personal history of changed names and birth dates and many more secrets. She shares her hunt for information, confusing as it was. Europe’s boundaries changed many times and so many records were lost, moved to different locations, or destroyed since then. What was once a governmental record is now in the hands of each parish and such. But these countries, states, and towns are very different from what they were at the time of the war. What once was Germany might now be another country. What once was Ukraine, might now be Germany. Where do you apply to find records of that time? And what name do you look for when people were trying to hide who they really were and using aliases? Changing their birth dates? Denying their family ties? Yes, the author provides a confusing number of names and such in her book that seem superfluous to those not familiar with a family search. However, being familiar with the ways of genealogists and what happens when you go looking for your ancestors, I understand why there are so many names. The story is written as it happened to the best of Mrs. Foer’s ability. It’s a story that needs to be told so that it won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book.
I Want You to Know We’re Still Here
A Post-Holocaust Memoir
Esther Safran Foer
Tim Duggan Books, Mar 2020
288 pages
Memoir, Historical, Holocaust, Genealogy
Provided by Edelweiss
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover is perfect for this story. It looks like an old photograph, which I’m sure it was taken from. The subtle font in pale gray and the ragged-looking edge like an old document all add up to the telling of an old story, which this is. A story that hasn’t been told completely. Too many of its parts have been lost, covered up to be kept secret or simply lost to time and death of those who carry the story.
The Jews of Europe had to keep things secret. Where they were. How many of them there were. What they had. Their very existence had to be kept secret. For if they were discovered, their lives were forfeit to torture or death. Families were separated, to begin with. Husbands from wives, parents from children, siblings from each other even, mostly by gender. Shipped off to different camps and most never to find each other again if they lived through the war and what they were put through in the camps.
Esther records her family’s personal history of changed names and birth dates and many more secrets. She shares her hunt for information, confusing as it was. Europe’s boundaries changed many times and so many records were lost, moved to different locations, or destroyed since then. What was once a governmental record is now in the hands of each parish and such. But these countries, states, and towns are very different from what they were at the time of the war. What once was Germany might now be another country. What once was Ukraine, might now be Germany. Where do you apply to find records of that time? And what name do you look for when people were trying to hide who they really were and using aliases? Changing their birth dates? Denying their family ties? Yes, the author provides a confusing number of names and such in her book that seem superfluous to those not familiar with a family search. However, being familiar with the ways of genealogists and what happens when you go looking for your ancestors, I understand why there are so many names. The story is written as it happened to the best of Mrs. Foer’s ability. It’s a story that needs to be told so that it won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book.
March 12, 2022
See also note on 3/12/22
*******************
I heard this author in an interesting discussion and review on NPR. I am eager to read this book when it is available. (3/30/20)
*************
12/9/2020
Esther Safran Foer has presented the reader with an extremely affective account of her painstaking saga of tracing her huge family, all killed in the Holocaust. It also involved her seeking the shtetls, or towns, in Ukraine, where her relatives were known to have lived prior to the inhuman slaughter by the Nazis. This, in part, was fueled by the book her son had written, Everything Is Illuminated , a fictitional account of this place, Trochenbrod and nearby tiny settlements.
__________________________
It is impressive to read how Foer and her son pieced together small clues to construct the solution to the larger puzzle. They traveled to areas where towns no longer existed due to Nazi destruction, or inhabited by surviving non-Jewish residents. This was not surprising when considering the complete decimation of many Polish and Ukrainian sites during this period. Vivid, detailed descriptions have been made by many of once teeming, cultured shtetls, including Eishyshock. It had been heavily populated by Jewish citizens, all of whom were eradicated during the Holocaust.*
It is impressive to discover how helpful many Christian people were involved in the Foer's search.
One small criticism about the recording of events in this tale is the huge number of people mentioned with difficult to pronounce names for the English speaker. However, it was certainly a necessity to determine family names, past relationships and to designate those helpful, kind people. Many assisted in the horrifying task of identifying the sites of brutal, mass slaughters, terrifying to observe, but important to remember...
Foer's youngest son spoke at the time of his youngest son's birth:
Leo, your mother and I pray that you will never forget where you came from, nor the generations who came before you. May your life be a credit to your ancestors, just as we pray that you will someday have descendants as numerous as the stars, whose lives will be a credit to you. P.218
*An impressive, lengthy production by PBS some 20 years past presented a heartbreaking picture of this There Once Was A Town .
There once was a town (VHS tape, 2000) [WorldCat.org]
www.worldcat.org/title/there-once-was......
4.5
3/12/22 This is especially poignant as I reread my review. We are now viewing Russia's onslaught on the Ukrainian population- the worst since WW II. Among other things, learning of the attack on Babi Yar by the Russians, a horrifying site of slaughter during the Holocaust, has served to further ignite the anger and concerns of most of us.
*******************
I heard this author in an interesting discussion and review on NPR. I am eager to read this book when it is available. (3/30/20)
*************
12/9/2020
Esther Safran Foer has presented the reader with an extremely affective account of her painstaking saga of tracing her huge family, all killed in the Holocaust. It also involved her seeking the shtetls, or towns, in Ukraine, where her relatives were known to have lived prior to the inhuman slaughter by the Nazis. This, in part, was fueled by the book her son had written, Everything Is Illuminated , a fictitional account of this place, Trochenbrod and nearby tiny settlements.
__________________________
It is impressive to read how Foer and her son pieced together small clues to construct the solution to the larger puzzle. They traveled to areas where towns no longer existed due to Nazi destruction, or inhabited by surviving non-Jewish residents. This was not surprising when considering the complete decimation of many Polish and Ukrainian sites during this period. Vivid, detailed descriptions have been made by many of once teeming, cultured shtetls, including Eishyshock. It had been heavily populated by Jewish citizens, all of whom were eradicated during the Holocaust.*
It is impressive to discover how helpful many Christian people were involved in the Foer's search.
One small criticism about the recording of events in this tale is the huge number of people mentioned with difficult to pronounce names for the English speaker. However, it was certainly a necessity to determine family names, past relationships and to designate those helpful, kind people. Many assisted in the horrifying task of identifying the sites of brutal, mass slaughters, terrifying to observe, but important to remember...
Foer's youngest son spoke at the time of his youngest son's birth:
Leo, your mother and I pray that you will never forget where you came from, nor the generations who came before you. May your life be a credit to your ancestors, just as we pray that you will someday have descendants as numerous as the stars, whose lives will be a credit to you. P.218
*An impressive, lengthy production by PBS some 20 years past presented a heartbreaking picture of this There Once Was A Town .
There once was a town (VHS tape, 2000) [WorldCat.org]
www.worldcat.org/title/there-once-was......
4.5
3/12/22 This is especially poignant as I reread my review. We are now viewing Russia's onslaught on the Ukrainian population- the worst since WW II. Among other things, learning of the attack on Babi Yar by the Russians, a horrifying site of slaughter during the Holocaust, has served to further ignite the anger and concerns of most of us.
February 5, 2025
Meine Bewertung gilt nicht dem Leben und der Familiengeschichte von Esther Safran Foer, sondern Schreibstil und Aufbau des Buches.
April 24, 2020
Esther Safran Foer is the mother of three authors (including Jonathan Safran Foer), so it isn't surprising that she is intelligent, open, and writes beautifully. This memoir is a story of family, ancestry, faith and inspiration. It is the tale of war and its impact on future generations. It is the story of loss, Judaism, the Holocaust, grief and PTSD.
Ms. Foer's parents were both raised in Ukrainian shtetls. Both narrowly escaped mass shootings that took their entire families. Her mother survived by running. She and a friend were constantly moving deeper into Russia, and Asia, trying to stay ahead of the Nazis. Her father survived, hidden by a Gentile family. When he left their care his story is unknown. Ms Foer was not told any of this for years. Her father died when she was only 8 and her mother refused to talk about any of it in any detail. She was surprised to learn one day that her father had a wife and daughter who were also killed.
Ms Foer eventually becomes a family sleuth. She takes DNA tests, searches family trees, collects documents, and connects with distant (previously unknown) relatives. At one point she decides that she will visit the Ukraine and the shtetls where her parents lived. The book that results shows why this search for her story is important to her, to her sons, to the collective Jewish memory. It shares the emotional impact of meeting the people who knew her sister, and other family members. It shares the horrors of the Holocaust, but it also shares the beautiful acts by individuals.
And she ends the book in a poignant, moving, heart-wrenching, devastating, and beautiful way, as she shares a quote from her son's speech at her grandson's bris, which ended like this:
"Leo, your mother and I pray that you will never forget where you come from, nor the generations who came before you. May your life be a credit to your ancestors, just as we pray that you will someday have descendants as numerous as the stars, whose lives will be a credit to you."
Ms. Foer's parents were both raised in Ukrainian shtetls. Both narrowly escaped mass shootings that took their entire families. Her mother survived by running. She and a friend were constantly moving deeper into Russia, and Asia, trying to stay ahead of the Nazis. Her father survived, hidden by a Gentile family. When he left their care his story is unknown. Ms Foer was not told any of this for years. Her father died when she was only 8 and her mother refused to talk about any of it in any detail. She was surprised to learn one day that her father had a wife and daughter who were also killed.
Ms Foer eventually becomes a family sleuth. She takes DNA tests, searches family trees, collects documents, and connects with distant (previously unknown) relatives. At one point she decides that she will visit the Ukraine and the shtetls where her parents lived. The book that results shows why this search for her story is important to her, to her sons, to the collective Jewish memory. It shares the emotional impact of meeting the people who knew her sister, and other family members. It shares the horrors of the Holocaust, but it also shares the beautiful acts by individuals.
And she ends the book in a poignant, moving, heart-wrenching, devastating, and beautiful way, as she shares a quote from her son's speech at her grandson's bris, which ended like this:
"Leo, your mother and I pray that you will never forget where you come from, nor the generations who came before you. May your life be a credit to your ancestors, just as we pray that you will someday have descendants as numerous as the stars, whose lives will be a credit to you."
December 2, 2020
Auf dieses Buch hatte ich mich gefreut. Der Name Safran Foer, der Buchtitel, die Inhaltsangabe haben mich gleich angezogen. Doch bald stellte ich fest, dass die Erwartungen zu hoch waren, denn wo ich mir eine berührende, verstörende Geschichte aus der deutsch-besetzten Ukraine vorstellte, fand ich eine Art Familienalbum, zu detailreich und dadurch langatmig erzählt, gedacht wohl eher für Kinder, Enkel, Urenkel als für ein breites Lesepublikum. Die durchaus interessanten Schicksale der jüdischen Dörfer und ihrer Bevölkerung versickern - durch viel zu viele Aufzählungen von Cousinen, Bekannten, Bekannten von Bekannten – wie wertvolle Steinchen im Sand.
Esther Safran, geboren 1946, emigriert mit ihren Eltern nach dem Krieg, sie verbringt die ersten Lebensjahre in einem Lager für displaced persons in Deutschland, bevor die Ausreise in die USA gelingt. Esther studiert und wird erfolgreiche Geschäftsfrau. Ihr Sohn Jonathan Safran Foer bereiste bereits die alte Heimat Ukraine und leider – er fand kaum noch Spuren der Familie, doch aus den Notizen entstand der Romanwelterfolg "Alles ist erleuchtet". Esther geht nun mit dem Sohn Franklin erneut auf Spurensuche: Ihr sollt wissen, dass wir noch da sind – und so müssen sich doch Belege für das jüdische Leben, für die Familie in den Dörfern Kolky und Trochenbrod finden lassen. Die Fahrt erlebe ich als pressebegleiteten Erinnerungstourismus, viele ähnlich motivierte Mitreisende sind dabei, alle auf der Suche nach den Familienwurzeln. Mich kann das – bei aller Betroffenheit – nicht wirklich packen.
Das Buch ist kein literarisches Werk, es sind Erinnerungen, die – in ihren vielen kleinen Einzelheiten - wohl zunächst nur für die eigene Familie gedacht und diese ermahnt, Namen, Orte, die eigene Geschichte nicht zu vergessen. Diese Aufgabe hat Esther Safran sehr gut erfüllt.
Esther Safran, geboren 1946, emigriert mit ihren Eltern nach dem Krieg, sie verbringt die ersten Lebensjahre in einem Lager für displaced persons in Deutschland, bevor die Ausreise in die USA gelingt. Esther studiert und wird erfolgreiche Geschäftsfrau. Ihr Sohn Jonathan Safran Foer bereiste bereits die alte Heimat Ukraine und leider – er fand kaum noch Spuren der Familie, doch aus den Notizen entstand der Romanwelterfolg "Alles ist erleuchtet". Esther geht nun mit dem Sohn Franklin erneut auf Spurensuche: Ihr sollt wissen, dass wir noch da sind – und so müssen sich doch Belege für das jüdische Leben, für die Familie in den Dörfern Kolky und Trochenbrod finden lassen. Die Fahrt erlebe ich als pressebegleiteten Erinnerungstourismus, viele ähnlich motivierte Mitreisende sind dabei, alle auf der Suche nach den Familienwurzeln. Mich kann das – bei aller Betroffenheit – nicht wirklich packen.
Das Buch ist kein literarisches Werk, es sind Erinnerungen, die – in ihren vielen kleinen Einzelheiten - wohl zunächst nur für die eigene Familie gedacht und diese ermahnt, Namen, Orte, die eigene Geschichte nicht zu vergessen. Diese Aufgabe hat Esther Safran sehr gut erfüllt.
February 6, 2024
*https://www.instagram.com/mrsb_book_r...
🖼Washington D.C. based Esther Safran Foer, is a mother of three and a grandmother of six. Esther Safran Foer can add author to her list of attributes thanks to the publication of her 2020 memoir. I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is a nonfiction composition that honours the author's ancestors who sadly perished in the Holocaust and those who helped her survive.
🖼When Esther Safran Foer discovered that her father was married to another woman before he was with her own mother and they had a young daughter together, Esther Safran Foer decided to embark on a personal mission to uncover this personal family story. It is an incredible journey that takes the author far and wide. From database searches, to lengthy archive investigations, to hiring a personal investigator, collecting DNA samples and taking a trip to Ukraine, this very tender quest has many facets. Each new chapter of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here reveals more about this complex family network and web of relatives who perished in shocking circumstances during the war. From mass graves, to shootings, deportation, theft and starvation, Foer’s family tree experienced it all. What does arise above all the devastating heartbreak are the moments of light, goodness and generosity, including those who were able to assist the author’s father to escape the clutches of the Nazis. For me the scene that will stay with me the most was the moment Esther Safran Foer was able to set foot on the same ground as the final resting place of her ancestors in a mass grave hidden in a forest. This section of the book did make me tear up.
🖼I didn��t realise until after reading I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is loosely connected to the Everything is Illuminated a novel and film by the author’s son, fellow writer Jonathan Safran Foer. I’m now going to watch this movie while respectfully reflecting on how important it is to ensure those who experienced the Holocaust are not forgotten.
🖼Washington D.C. based Esther Safran Foer, is a mother of three and a grandmother of six. Esther Safran Foer can add author to her list of attributes thanks to the publication of her 2020 memoir. I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is a nonfiction composition that honours the author's ancestors who sadly perished in the Holocaust and those who helped her survive.
🖼When Esther Safran Foer discovered that her father was married to another woman before he was with her own mother and they had a young daughter together, Esther Safran Foer decided to embark on a personal mission to uncover this personal family story. It is an incredible journey that takes the author far and wide. From database searches, to lengthy archive investigations, to hiring a personal investigator, collecting DNA samples and taking a trip to Ukraine, this very tender quest has many facets. Each new chapter of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here reveals more about this complex family network and web of relatives who perished in shocking circumstances during the war. From mass graves, to shootings, deportation, theft and starvation, Foer’s family tree experienced it all. What does arise above all the devastating heartbreak are the moments of light, goodness and generosity, including those who were able to assist the author’s father to escape the clutches of the Nazis. For me the scene that will stay with me the most was the moment Esther Safran Foer was able to set foot on the same ground as the final resting place of her ancestors in a mass grave hidden in a forest. This section of the book did make me tear up.
🖼I didn��t realise until after reading I Want You to Know We’re Still Here is loosely connected to the Everything is Illuminated a novel and film by the author’s son, fellow writer Jonathan Safran Foer. I’m now going to watch this movie while respectfully reflecting on how important it is to ensure those who experienced the Holocaust are not forgotten.
November 25, 2019
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review*
I Want You to Know We're Still Here is the author's experiences as she hunts for the truth about her family. Her father and mother were both survivors of the Holocaust. Like so many of the Jewish communities during Hitler's reign, the shtetls where her parents were raised were devastated, the Jewish people executed. Esther and her sons travel to meet surviving relatives and to search for clues that lead to where others may be buried. At the forefront of her and her sons' investigation, is always the search for her unknown half sister to whom she doesn't even have a name. The book is not only about this search for what happened to the lost loved ones, but also a memoir that describes her mother and father's journey to safety.
In all honesty, I cannot describe this book and do it any justice without repeating what has already been included in the description. I felt like I was in this book with Mrs. Foer. I was invested. Like her, I had to know what had happened to these people, her family. The Jewish people were/are brave, they have a strength and resilience that is unbelievable. I have read so many books and watched so many documentaries about the Holocaust. It was a time of so much cruelty. I just don't understand why.....to know that Mrs. Foer was able to get some closure...I just can't imagine.
I love the title of this book. Yes, they are still here. They (the author and her family) searched for the truth of her family's history. They left reminders that their lost family members are not forgotten. I just can't express how beautiful, and at times, heartbreaking, this memoir is and how thankful I am that I have been allowed to review it.
I Want You to Know We're Still Here is the author's experiences as she hunts for the truth about her family. Her father and mother were both survivors of the Holocaust. Like so many of the Jewish communities during Hitler's reign, the shtetls where her parents were raised were devastated, the Jewish people executed. Esther and her sons travel to meet surviving relatives and to search for clues that lead to where others may be buried. At the forefront of her and her sons' investigation, is always the search for her unknown half sister to whom she doesn't even have a name. The book is not only about this search for what happened to the lost loved ones, but also a memoir that describes her mother and father's journey to safety.
In all honesty, I cannot describe this book and do it any justice without repeating what has already been included in the description. I felt like I was in this book with Mrs. Foer. I was invested. Like her, I had to know what had happened to these people, her family. The Jewish people were/are brave, they have a strength and resilience that is unbelievable. I have read so many books and watched so many documentaries about the Holocaust. It was a time of so much cruelty. I just don't understand why.....to know that Mrs. Foer was able to get some closure...I just can't imagine.
I love the title of this book. Yes, they are still here. They (the author and her family) searched for the truth of her family's history. They left reminders that their lost family members are not forgotten. I just can't express how beautiful, and at times, heartbreaking, this memoir is and how thankful I am that I have been allowed to review it.
March 6, 2020
I read the Advanced, Uncorrected Proof of this book which someone picked up at a book convention where they saw the author speak. The person who gave me this book to read was very impressed with the author and the story she had to tell and thought I might be also. And, indeed, I was impressed with the story she had to tell.
Safran Foer, who, as she reminds us way too many times, is the mother of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everthing is Illuminated, a holocaust book about a semi-fictional town in Poland/Ukraine. Her goal in her own book is to enlighten the reader as to what happens to concentration camp survivors - or just survivors in general - between liberation and resettlement, a time period nearly completely overlooked in the holocaust canon. It is definitely an interesting slant that makes for an interesting story as survivors attempt to overcome their trauma and learn to live - or not -with their overwhelming PTSD. As this was an uncorrected proof, I can't comment too harshly on how it is written but that's my problem with the book. Suffice it to say, I hope the finished version found a good editor. The book, in its current state, is a wonderful resource for her own family - the level of genealogical research she completed and the number of relatives and stories she has uncovered is impressive indeed. And far be it from me to criticize anyone's true holocaust story. I have nothing but respect for anyone who survived Nazi persecution. I am glad I read the book - it is educational and enlightening; heartbreaking and hopeful - I just hope the finished copy is better edited.
Safran Foer, who, as she reminds us way too many times, is the mother of Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everthing is Illuminated, a holocaust book about a semi-fictional town in Poland/Ukraine. Her goal in her own book is to enlighten the reader as to what happens to concentration camp survivors - or just survivors in general - between liberation and resettlement, a time period nearly completely overlooked in the holocaust canon. It is definitely an interesting slant that makes for an interesting story as survivors attempt to overcome their trauma and learn to live - or not -with their overwhelming PTSD. As this was an uncorrected proof, I can't comment too harshly on how it is written but that's my problem with the book. Suffice it to say, I hope the finished version found a good editor. The book, in its current state, is a wonderful resource for her own family - the level of genealogical research she completed and the number of relatives and stories she has uncovered is impressive indeed. And far be it from me to criticize anyone's true holocaust story. I have nothing but respect for anyone who survived Nazi persecution. I am glad I read the book - it is educational and enlightening; heartbreaking and hopeful - I just hope the finished copy is better edited.
February 15, 2020
WOW. It's hard to put into words the way I felt when reading this. In so many ways, this book felt like a spiritual experience (even though I am not Jewish) because of the way that Safran Foer writes these memories into a history, as she emphasizes as important in Jewish culture. I felt completely moved by these stories and the determination to give dignity back to each affected person of the Holocaust.
The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 (I really wish I could do 4.5) is due to the fact that I found some parts of the texts difficult to follow without a visual of a map or family tree somewhere. At certain parts, this made it hard to actually understand what was going on, who was being talked about, or why a certain person was being mentioned at that particular part (because truly, each person Safran Foer mentions hold their own importance in this history). If these moments had not detracted from my complete understanding of the text, I would have easily given the book 5 stars.
BONUS: I got so many book recommendations for what to read next because of this book!!
***I was provided with an e-ARC of this book from Crown Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are my own.***
The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 (I really wish I could do 4.5) is due to the fact that I found some parts of the texts difficult to follow without a visual of a map or family tree somewhere. At certain parts, this made it hard to actually understand what was going on, who was being talked about, or why a certain person was being mentioned at that particular part (because truly, each person Safran Foer mentions hold their own importance in this history). If these moments had not detracted from my complete understanding of the text, I would have easily given the book 5 stars.
BONUS: I got so many book recommendations for what to read next because of this book!!
***I was provided with an e-ARC of this book from Crown Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions below are my own.***
September 30, 2019
As a history major, I was intrigued by the subtitle of this memoir. I’m always keeping an eye out for the untold history and this book became one that stayed with me for days after I’d finished it.
We all have photos of people that we know are family but no one can tell us who they are; as too much time has passed; that is what happens here.
One photo sparked the search for one single name in an attempt to know; as to claim the existence of one person, for to keep the memory of them alive.
Brought to life here is the sense that is memory which has given us a true look at the past not soon to be forgotten.
We all have photos of people that we know are family but no one can tell us who they are; as too much time has passed; that is what happens here.
One photo sparked the search for one single name in an attempt to know; as to claim the existence of one person, for to keep the memory of them alive.
Brought to life here is the sense that is memory which has given us a true look at the past not soon to be forgotten.
June 1, 2020
I was drawn to reading this book for two reasons. First, I loved her son Jonathan’s fictional account of their family history ....” Everything is Illuminated”.
Second, I was curious to read her personal journey of discovery about this very little known part of the Holocaust, known as Holocaust by Bullets.
If you want to know more about this time period , you should read Father Patrick DeBois ‘s two books. “Holocaust by Bullets” and “In Broad Daylight” . Here you will get a clear understanding of this, the precursor of the final solution, which quickly became the death camps.
Her book left me disappointed, and sometimes rather impatient. Though I admire her need to research her family history, and her commitment and success in its discovery, i was disappointed in the writing . There was too much needless information, about secondary and tertiary family members, that I could not retain , and frankly did not care about.
I wish she could have stuck to the meat of the story, cut it down a bit..... or better still , had her son Jonathan, write about it.
Talking of which, “ Everything is Illuminated” , though fiction, said more and had more emotional impact on the same subject matter. Sometimes , it takes a work of fiction to teach the lessons of the Holocaust in a more personal and intimate way.
Second, I was curious to read her personal journey of discovery about this very little known part of the Holocaust, known as Holocaust by Bullets.
If you want to know more about this time period , you should read Father Patrick DeBois ‘s two books. “Holocaust by Bullets” and “In Broad Daylight” . Here you will get a clear understanding of this, the precursor of the final solution, which quickly became the death camps.
Her book left me disappointed, and sometimes rather impatient. Though I admire her need to research her family history, and her commitment and success in its discovery, i was disappointed in the writing . There was too much needless information, about secondary and tertiary family members, that I could not retain , and frankly did not care about.
I wish she could have stuck to the meat of the story, cut it down a bit..... or better still , had her son Jonathan, write about it.
Talking of which, “ Everything is Illuminated” , though fiction, said more and had more emotional impact on the same subject matter. Sometimes , it takes a work of fiction to teach the lessons of the Holocaust in a more personal and intimate way.
June 9, 2020
Non so, questa e' un altro libro che mi lascia perplessa, piu' che sulla famiglia perduta (e quindi le radici perdute) della Safran Foer e' un libro piu' incentrato su di lei, sul suo percorso nella ricerca delle radici perdute. Non mi ha emozionato come "Gli scomparsi" di Daniel Mendelsohn, che parla praticamente della stessa cosa ma con una scrittura cosi' coinvolgente, commovente ed emozionante che non si puo' neanche paragonare a questo.
Want to read
April 2, 2020I did not know Jonathan Safran Foer his mother wrote!
November 24, 2020
Esther Safran Foers Buch ist eine Annäherung an ihre Familiengeschichte. Die Suche nach ihren ermordeten Verwandten, aber auch die Annäherung daran, wie Erinnerung funktionieren kann.
Sie beschreibt dabei auch, wie schwierig es ist, Nachforschungen über Menschen an zustellen, die sie selbst nicht kannte, und über die sie im Grunde nur Bruchstückhaft Dinge weiß, die wiederum aus der Erinnerung ihrer Mutter oder anderer stammten. Gleichzeitig geht es auch um das Schweigen über die Shoa (jüd. Bezeichnung für den Holocaust) und wie die Nachfahren Überlebender mit diesem Trauma umgehen. Was das mit ihnen macht, was das mit ihr gemacht hat. Das Schweigen ist dabei ein besonders wichtiger Faktor. So hat auch ihre eigene Mutter kaum über ihre Erlebnisse gesprochen und wenn dann auch zu Esthers Überraschung erst mit den Enkelkindern und nicht mit ihrer Tochter. Nicht nur weil sie das Gefühl hatten, alles hinter sich lassen zu müssen um weiter machen zu können, sondern auch, weil niemand zu hören wollte.
Auch Esther selbst hat sich dieser Geschichte erst gestellt, als ihr Sohn Jonathan begann Nachforschungen zu stellen. Im Grunde ist sein Roman "Alles ist erleuchtet", ein Startpunkt für Esther gewesen, sich den Geheimnissen ihrer Familie anzunehmen. Dabei geht es ihr gar nicht so sehr darum, alle Wahrheiten zu entschlüsseln, aber viel mehr einen eigenen Umgang mit der Vergangenheit zu finden. Daher ist das ihr ganz eigener Weg und für sie ihre Möglichkeit, sich an die Ermordeten zu erinnern, gerade weil es nur Massengräber als sonstige Erinnerungsorte gibt.
In der jüdischen Tradition spielen Namen eine wichtige Rolle. Es ist ganz normal, die Vornamen der verstorbenen (z.B. Vorfahren, die Namen der eigenen Eltern, Großeltern usw). an die eigenen Kinder weiter zu geben, dabei sind mehrere Namen keine Seltenheit. Auch deshalb spielen Namen in diesem Buch eine zentrale Rolle. Für Esther, aber auch in vielen offiziellen Veranstaltungen zu Erinnerung an den Holocaust, geben die Namen den Ermordeten ihre Würde, aber auch ihre Identität zurück. Sie werden sichtbar. Es gab sie, sie haben gelebt. Manchmal kann einen die Fülle an Namen etwas erschlagen. Das schreibt die Autorin sogar auch selbst. Nicht alle Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse habe ich daher behalten. Das war zum Teil echt etwas überladen. Aber ich kann versehen, wie wichtig ihr dieser Punkt ist.
Gerade über ihre Schwester Asya, die Halbschwester, die Tochter der ersten Ehefrau von Esters Vater, weiß man leider nichts. Es gibt kein Foto. Esther hat nur den Namen und weiß, wo sie ermordet wurde, in welchem Massengrab sie liegt. Es hat mich sehr berührt, das letztendlich einen Weg gefunden hat, auch durch dieses Buch die Erinnerung wach zu halten.
Erschreckend ist dabei, wie in der Ukraine selbst mit der Erinnerung umgegangen wird. Hier weiß ich tatsächlich zu wenig, aber durch das Buch scheint schon durch, das dort keine wirkliche Aufklärung über den Holocaust zu herrschen scheint. Laut Foer gibt es z.B. keinen gezielten Schulunterricht über diese Zeit und vor allem über die Rolle der Ukraine. Die angebrachten Erinnerungstafeln werden oft zerrstört und es gibt z.B. oft keine Erwähnungen über den jüdischen Hintergrund verschiedener Städte in Broschüren die etwa Touristen erhalten. Lange gab es über Trochenbrod, der zentralen Stadt in der Esters Familiengeschichte beginnt, keine Informationen über das Shtetl. Die Informationen waren so dürftig, das Jonathan Safran Foer in seinem Roman, das Shtetl und das Leben dort komplett erfunden hat. Das führte sogar dazu, das manche Außenstehende dachten, die Stadt sei komplett erfunden.
Gleichzeitig ist das Buch trotz des traurigen Themas so lebensbejahend. Die Familie ist trotz allem gewachsen und durch die Recherchen wurden neue Bande geknüpft, Verwandte gefunden und letztendlich ist das Buch auch ein Zeugnis darüber, das es den Nationalsozialisten nicht gelungen ist, alle Juden zu ermorden. Es gibt wieder jüdisches Leben in der Welt und sie haben große Familien, bilden Netzwerke, halte die Erinnerung hoch. Aber sind eben auch Teil unserer heutigen Geschichte und das jeden Tag aufs neue. Esther Safran Foer hat neben all der Traurigkeit, trotzdem auch Positives aus dem Trauma ihrer Familie ziehen können. Für mich ist das irgendwie so ein Sieg über die Nationalsozialisten, bei all dem Schmerz, bei all dem Hass,abgebrochenen Lebensläufen, Geschichten die für immer verloren sind, gibt es auch Liebe, Erinnerung und Zukunft.
Sie beschreibt dabei auch, wie schwierig es ist, Nachforschungen über Menschen an zustellen, die sie selbst nicht kannte, und über die sie im Grunde nur Bruchstückhaft Dinge weiß, die wiederum aus der Erinnerung ihrer Mutter oder anderer stammten. Gleichzeitig geht es auch um das Schweigen über die Shoa (jüd. Bezeichnung für den Holocaust) und wie die Nachfahren Überlebender mit diesem Trauma umgehen. Was das mit ihnen macht, was das mit ihr gemacht hat. Das Schweigen ist dabei ein besonders wichtiger Faktor. So hat auch ihre eigene Mutter kaum über ihre Erlebnisse gesprochen und wenn dann auch zu Esthers Überraschung erst mit den Enkelkindern und nicht mit ihrer Tochter. Nicht nur weil sie das Gefühl hatten, alles hinter sich lassen zu müssen um weiter machen zu können, sondern auch, weil niemand zu hören wollte.
Auch Esther selbst hat sich dieser Geschichte erst gestellt, als ihr Sohn Jonathan begann Nachforschungen zu stellen. Im Grunde ist sein Roman "Alles ist erleuchtet", ein Startpunkt für Esther gewesen, sich den Geheimnissen ihrer Familie anzunehmen. Dabei geht es ihr gar nicht so sehr darum, alle Wahrheiten zu entschlüsseln, aber viel mehr einen eigenen Umgang mit der Vergangenheit zu finden. Daher ist das ihr ganz eigener Weg und für sie ihre Möglichkeit, sich an die Ermordeten zu erinnern, gerade weil es nur Massengräber als sonstige Erinnerungsorte gibt.
In der jüdischen Tradition spielen Namen eine wichtige Rolle. Es ist ganz normal, die Vornamen der verstorbenen (z.B. Vorfahren, die Namen der eigenen Eltern, Großeltern usw). an die eigenen Kinder weiter zu geben, dabei sind mehrere Namen keine Seltenheit. Auch deshalb spielen Namen in diesem Buch eine zentrale Rolle. Für Esther, aber auch in vielen offiziellen Veranstaltungen zu Erinnerung an den Holocaust, geben die Namen den Ermordeten ihre Würde, aber auch ihre Identität zurück. Sie werden sichtbar. Es gab sie, sie haben gelebt. Manchmal kann einen die Fülle an Namen etwas erschlagen. Das schreibt die Autorin sogar auch selbst. Nicht alle Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse habe ich daher behalten. Das war zum Teil echt etwas überladen. Aber ich kann versehen, wie wichtig ihr dieser Punkt ist.
Gerade über ihre Schwester Asya, die Halbschwester, die Tochter der ersten Ehefrau von Esters Vater, weiß man leider nichts. Es gibt kein Foto. Esther hat nur den Namen und weiß, wo sie ermordet wurde, in welchem Massengrab sie liegt. Es hat mich sehr berührt, das letztendlich einen Weg gefunden hat, auch durch dieses Buch die Erinnerung wach zu halten.
Erschreckend ist dabei, wie in der Ukraine selbst mit der Erinnerung umgegangen wird. Hier weiß ich tatsächlich zu wenig, aber durch das Buch scheint schon durch, das dort keine wirkliche Aufklärung über den Holocaust zu herrschen scheint. Laut Foer gibt es z.B. keinen gezielten Schulunterricht über diese Zeit und vor allem über die Rolle der Ukraine. Die angebrachten Erinnerungstafeln werden oft zerrstört und es gibt z.B. oft keine Erwähnungen über den jüdischen Hintergrund verschiedener Städte in Broschüren die etwa Touristen erhalten. Lange gab es über Trochenbrod, der zentralen Stadt in der Esters Familiengeschichte beginnt, keine Informationen über das Shtetl. Die Informationen waren so dürftig, das Jonathan Safran Foer in seinem Roman, das Shtetl und das Leben dort komplett erfunden hat. Das führte sogar dazu, das manche Außenstehende dachten, die Stadt sei komplett erfunden.
Gleichzeitig ist das Buch trotz des traurigen Themas so lebensbejahend. Die Familie ist trotz allem gewachsen und durch die Recherchen wurden neue Bande geknüpft, Verwandte gefunden und letztendlich ist das Buch auch ein Zeugnis darüber, das es den Nationalsozialisten nicht gelungen ist, alle Juden zu ermorden. Es gibt wieder jüdisches Leben in der Welt und sie haben große Familien, bilden Netzwerke, halte die Erinnerung hoch. Aber sind eben auch Teil unserer heutigen Geschichte und das jeden Tag aufs neue. Esther Safran Foer hat neben all der Traurigkeit, trotzdem auch Positives aus dem Trauma ihrer Familie ziehen können. Für mich ist das irgendwie so ein Sieg über die Nationalsozialisten, bei all dem Schmerz, bei all dem Hass,abgebrochenen Lebensläufen, Geschichten die für immer verloren sind, gibt es auch Liebe, Erinnerung und Zukunft.
March 4, 2022
Esther Safran Foer was a grown child of the Holocaust survivors. She was trying to get her mother to tell of the Holocaust and the family in Ukraine. Her mother just would not speak of the past.
Esther traveled to Israel and Ukraine for the answers she needed. She had pictures of her family with other people she didn't know of.
Some answers were found in her travels to Ukraine. The place were her grandparents once lived. Some of the locals residents knew of her family.
This all brought a certain closure to Esther.
Esther traveled to Israel and Ukraine for the answers she needed. She had pictures of her family with other people she didn't know of.
Some answers were found in her travels to Ukraine. The place were her grandparents once lived. Some of the locals residents knew of her family.
This all brought a certain closure to Esther.
January 6, 2022
Reading this memoir is a reminder that although war ends there is so much more to it than just a happy ending. The trauma that is carried by the survivors still lives on. It was interesting to read how the author strives to give a name to all the relatives she lost during the holocaust.
January 5, 2020
As soon as I read the synopsis of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here I knew I needed this book in my hands as soon as possible. Thank you so much Crown Publishing for granting me this early copy.
Esther Safran Foer-I usually do a quick thank you to the author as well but thank you is not enough. It has been such an honor and a privilege to read your memoir. Thank you so much for sharing your family history and journey to uncover the truth. This book is something that will stay with me for a long time. When I am able to purchase a physical copy upon its release, it will have a permanent home on my shelves.
Things I loved About This Book-
The History/ Subject Matter- I love history. Especially anything to do with WWII and the Holocaust. It just fascinates me. There are so many people and accounts- so many stories to be told. Each one so unique and important.
The Honesty- Esther Safran Foer is very open and honest about her family in this book. It is something that I admire. The book opens with a revelation. With a family secret. Her father was previously married during the war and she had a half sister. Both of them perished.
The author also touches upon her fathers death and the circumstances surrounding his death. I imagine that it was not an easy task putting some of her words to paper. I was emotional myself at certain points just reading what was written.
The Journey- The author travels to Ukraine to find family and witnesses. Anyone she may be able to talk to in order to piece together her fathers life before and during the war. Anyone who may have information on his previous wife and child.
I felt like I was on that journey with her. I was eager for the answers she was searching for.
That is all I can say at this time. I urge you to read this book. If you are a fan of history, non fiction, memoirs or genealogy I recommend this highly.
I feel very bad about not giving this memoir 5 stars. The reason it did not make it there has to do with the beginning of the book. At times it was hard to follow. I don’t want to use the words info dump but a lot of names and connections were explained towards the beginning. It was just a lot at first but once I made my way past that section all was good.
Esther Safran Foer-I usually do a quick thank you to the author as well but thank you is not enough. It has been such an honor and a privilege to read your memoir. Thank you so much for sharing your family history and journey to uncover the truth. This book is something that will stay with me for a long time. When I am able to purchase a physical copy upon its release, it will have a permanent home on my shelves.
Things I loved About This Book-
The History/ Subject Matter- I love history. Especially anything to do with WWII and the Holocaust. It just fascinates me. There are so many people and accounts- so many stories to be told. Each one so unique and important.
The Honesty- Esther Safran Foer is very open and honest about her family in this book. It is something that I admire. The book opens with a revelation. With a family secret. Her father was previously married during the war and she had a half sister. Both of them perished.
The author also touches upon her fathers death and the circumstances surrounding his death. I imagine that it was not an easy task putting some of her words to paper. I was emotional myself at certain points just reading what was written.
The Journey- The author travels to Ukraine to find family and witnesses. Anyone she may be able to talk to in order to piece together her fathers life before and during the war. Anyone who may have information on his previous wife and child.
I felt like I was on that journey with her. I was eager for the answers she was searching for.
That is all I can say at this time. I urge you to read this book. If you are a fan of history, non fiction, memoirs or genealogy I recommend this highly.
I feel very bad about not giving this memoir 5 stars. The reason it did not make it there has to do with the beginning of the book. At times it was hard to follow. I don’t want to use the words info dump but a lot of names and connections were explained towards the beginning. It was just a lot at first but once I made my way past that section all was good.
March 18, 2022
Hai presente quando leggendo un romanzo ti imbatti in una trama avvincente ma lo stile del libro non è all'altezza? Ecco.
Il libro di Esther Safran Foer prova a raccontare sia una storia personale sia una parte di storia europea spesso dimenticata. Partendo dall'esperienza dei suoi genitori, l'autrice descrive una delle facce dell'Olocausto, probabilmente quella che conosciamo meno, quella degli eccidi di massa e delle fosse comuni degli ebrei dell'Europa orientale.
Ho ricevuto questo libro in regalo qualche anno fa e l'ho lasciato in libreria.
Il senso di ignoranza e di impotenza di queste settimane mi ha spinto ad aprirlo, nella speranza di aggiungere un piccolissimo tassello alla mia conoscenza della storia dell'Ucraina.
Come ho letto anche da altri commenti, non metto in dubbio che l'obiettivo del libro sia valido ma la lettura è faticosa: tante, troppe ripetizioni, e un tono così fastidioso che è anche difficile toglierselo dalle orecchie.
L'autrice cavalca il successo del libro del figlio Johnatan (NDA libro che ho amato molto e che ha fatto sì che mi venisse regalato questo libro), ma il suo libro non funziona.
Non funziona come saggio e non funziona come lettura di approfondimento. Sicuramente apre una finestra su che cosa possa voler dire ricordare in famiglie che la storia l'hanno subita tutta sulle loro spalle, ma non riesce a dare chiavi di lettura né informazioni più articolate di un lungo elenco di nomi.
Probabilmente il fatto che l'autrice mi sia diventata pagina dopo pagina più antipatica non ha proprio aiutato.
Il libro di Esther Safran Foer prova a raccontare sia una storia personale sia una parte di storia europea spesso dimenticata. Partendo dall'esperienza dei suoi genitori, l'autrice descrive una delle facce dell'Olocausto, probabilmente quella che conosciamo meno, quella degli eccidi di massa e delle fosse comuni degli ebrei dell'Europa orientale.
Ho ricevuto questo libro in regalo qualche anno fa e l'ho lasciato in libreria.
Il senso di ignoranza e di impotenza di queste settimane mi ha spinto ad aprirlo, nella speranza di aggiungere un piccolissimo tassello alla mia conoscenza della storia dell'Ucraina.
Come ho letto anche da altri commenti, non metto in dubbio che l'obiettivo del libro sia valido ma la lettura è faticosa: tante, troppe ripetizioni, e un tono così fastidioso che è anche difficile toglierselo dalle orecchie.
L'autrice cavalca il successo del libro del figlio Johnatan (NDA libro che ho amato molto e che ha fatto sì che mi venisse regalato questo libro), ma il suo libro non funziona.
Non funziona come saggio e non funziona come lettura di approfondimento. Sicuramente apre una finestra su che cosa possa voler dire ricordare in famiglie che la storia l'hanno subita tutta sulle loro spalle, ma non riesce a dare chiavi di lettura né informazioni più articolate di un lungo elenco di nomi.
Probabilmente il fatto che l'autrice mi sia diventata pagina dopo pagina più antipatica non ha proprio aiutato.
August 13, 2021
This "Post-Holocaust" Memoir is just so good. I've been reading many of Elie Wiesel's books, so I wanted to try this one out to add to my learning. In this case, the woman telling the story was born around the time of the Holocaust. She didn't experience it in a way that built memories of places and experiences so much as she dealt with the after affects on her mother and family. Essentially, the story explores what happened in the wake of the Holocaust and a return to where the crimes were perpetrated.
One of the things I found most interesting in the memoir is the author's explorations of family and memory. Her own memories are mainly framed by history and what her mother has told her. Surrounding that, she wants to find out about family members who were killed in their small village, so she returns there to explore and talk to people still there. The response by people living there upon her return were disgusting and slightly disturbing to me. I don't know that I realized how cruel or antisemitic the villagers still were after WWII. For some reason, I thought that with Germany's loss that people would wake up to the barbarity of it all, but we see that it's not really the case. Many villagers still carry deeply antisemitic ideology and even fear Holocaust survivors coming back to claim their homes and lands which they have taken over. It was just really rough seeing their responses.
I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who is expanding their knowledge of this human rights atrocity or who have studied WWII. To some degree, you do need a bit of introduction into the Holocaust; however, if you have read anything from this period or about it, you could jump in. This emotional look at the lives of Holocaust survivors was just really unique and I appreciated learning more about this post-survival time
One of the things I found most interesting in the memoir is the author's explorations of family and memory. Her own memories are mainly framed by history and what her mother has told her. Surrounding that, she wants to find out about family members who were killed in their small village, so she returns there to explore and talk to people still there. The response by people living there upon her return were disgusting and slightly disturbing to me. I don't know that I realized how cruel or antisemitic the villagers still were after WWII. For some reason, I thought that with Germany's loss that people would wake up to the barbarity of it all, but we see that it's not really the case. Many villagers still carry deeply antisemitic ideology and even fear Holocaust survivors coming back to claim their homes and lands which they have taken over. It was just really rough seeing their responses.
I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who is expanding their knowledge of this human rights atrocity or who have studied WWII. To some degree, you do need a bit of introduction into the Holocaust; however, if you have read anything from this period or about it, you could jump in. This emotional look at the lives of Holocaust survivors was just really unique and I appreciated learning more about this post-survival time
May 6, 2020
Esther Safran Foer "had grown up surrounded by ghosts." Her mother, a Holocaust survivor, kept secret much of the tragedy she had experienced in her birthplace, Ukraine. Similarly, the author's father had never spoken about his Holocaust experience; his suicide at the age of 44, however, was testament to his inability to survive with the ghosts he carried within him. When the author discovered, years later, that her father had lost his first wife and a daughter, she was further driven to journey into the past and find the answers to the questions she had never been able to ask.
The subject is engaging, as is the author's energy in her life-long pursuit of her lost and murdered family's fate. However, I found the memoir "clunky" in many parts, needing to be better structured and more fluid in the writing. Perhaps my expectations were unfair, as Esther Safran Foer is the mother of two respected authors (Josh and Jonathan). In fact, Jonathan Safran Foer was acclaimed worldwide for his fictional representation of his mother's shetl in Ukraine. The culmination of the author's search took her back to Ukraine, back to the site of the mass graves in the towns now devoid of Jews and of the traces of their lives.
What I found impressive throughout was the author's devotion to her family, to the memory of those she never knew but could now put names to and thus honour by imprinting them in her memory and in the memories she was providing for her children and grandchildren. Her final comments in the Epilogue do so with a full heart.
The subject is engaging, as is the author's energy in her life-long pursuit of her lost and murdered family's fate. However, I found the memoir "clunky" in many parts, needing to be better structured and more fluid in the writing. Perhaps my expectations were unfair, as Esther Safran Foer is the mother of two respected authors (Josh and Jonathan). In fact, Jonathan Safran Foer was acclaimed worldwide for his fictional representation of his mother's shetl in Ukraine. The culmination of the author's search took her back to Ukraine, back to the site of the mass graves in the towns now devoid of Jews and of the traces of their lives.
What I found impressive throughout was the author's devotion to her family, to the memory of those she never knew but could now put names to and thus honour by imprinting them in her memory and in the memories she was providing for her children and grandchildren. Her final comments in the Epilogue do so with a full heart.
March 30, 2020
Ester Foer's search for her family history is both inspiring and challenging. Her parents had lived through the Holocaust and were enigmatic about their experiences. Her father died and she was unaware of the circumstances until she was much older. Over the years, Foer did intense research across several continents to unearth her parent's history.
I read many books about the Holocaust - both fiction and non-fiction. Most are written about survivors from the death camps and their horrific experiences. What I haven't read much of, nor has there been much written about, concerns the post-Holocaust. This was a time that was just as hard for the surviving Jews and one that people just assume had to be easier given that the death camps were closed. Foer's book highlights this difficult time period and opened my eyes to a situation I knew little about.
Foer's book is a true life detective story. Her writing is just as gifted as her three sons who are also writers. It takes her years to finally piece her family's past in place. You can feel her emotion when she finally arrives at her father's ancestral home land and meets the family that saved her father.
This is an important book that needs to be added to the catalogue of "must-read" Holocaust books. It covers a period that most readers know little about. I highly recommend this book and am grateful for the opportunity to read it and learn more about this terrible time in World War II.
I read many books about the Holocaust - both fiction and non-fiction. Most are written about survivors from the death camps and their horrific experiences. What I haven't read much of, nor has there been much written about, concerns the post-Holocaust. This was a time that was just as hard for the surviving Jews and one that people just assume had to be easier given that the death camps were closed. Foer's book highlights this difficult time period and opened my eyes to a situation I knew little about.
Foer's book is a true life detective story. Her writing is just as gifted as her three sons who are also writers. It takes her years to finally piece her family's past in place. You can feel her emotion when she finally arrives at her father's ancestral home land and meets the family that saved her father.
This is an important book that needs to be added to the catalogue of "must-read" Holocaust books. It covers a period that most readers know little about. I highly recommend this book and am grateful for the opportunity to read it and learn more about this terrible time in World War II.
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